I'm On Top Of The World !

I feel like I can conquer the world !

The Center of Downtown Rio

Downtown Rio has the metropolitian look but maintain its uniqueness!

Soccer On The Beach

Some local kids practice soccer on Copacabana Beach!

Niteroi " The Other Side of Rio De Janeiro"

Niteroi , Rio De Janeiro Is on the other side of Rio. It takes about an hour drive by car and 2 hours by bus to get there but it is very refreshing when you get there!

Brazilian Beauties & Samba

Although, Carnival is nearly two months away, these girls in Rio are practicing their Samba skills on Copacabana Beach! Samba is one of the popular dances you will see the girls do at any party in Brazil. Get your dancing shoes ready!

Capoeira Live !

I was fortunate, to see a live demonstration of Capoeira on Impanema Beach. Capoeira, was originally started in Angola African, as a way of fighting tribal enemies. Once the slaves were brought to Brazil to work the plantations,the plantation owners banned them from practicing this skill in fear of retalliation. So the slaves disguised it as a dance.In Brazil, Capoeira, started in Salvador which is strongly influenced by the African Culture, through its music, dance, food and art!

They Do Care About Them!

I just returned from a 12 day vacation in Brazil 11/19/09 -12/1/09. To date this was the longest time I was in one city ( Rio De Janerio). The temperature was anywhere between mid 80's to low 90's ( perfect beach weather)!

One reason, I travel to Brazil is to learn more about the culture in-order to establish My Youth Exchange Program which will be a collaboration of both the American and Brazillian cultures.Each time i visit Brazil , I have a different experience and meet new contacts.

While in Miami waiting on my flight to Manus, Brazil (had a 12 hour layover there), I met a gentleman who was a resident of Rio and was in the toursim business. His name is Andre, he took me to several unique places in Rio. The most memorable one was a cafeteria in Niteroi, Rio De Janerio ( an hour drive from the city of Rio). This cafeteria is called, Restaurante Popular and is funded by the government for the citizens ( and some tourist) can eat a full course meal for $1R(.70 US ) a person.There are 11 restaurants like this in Rio. The cafeteria starts serving at 11:00 and closes when all the food is gone!

My meal consisted of: beans and rice, chopped liver, mashed potatoes, bread, salad , a choice fruit , dessert, tea and coffee. The meal was very tasty. I was not able take pictures , so I used ,the one above from Decision Magazine( Billy Graham Ministries). Just to set the tone of this article. Brazil has a lot work to do as far as setting up programs to help the poor but this program at the cafeteria was very effective. Hopefully, they will have more cafeterias like this all over Brazil.I was deeply touched from this experience.